Curtain or shade holder.



No. 782,839. PATENTED FEB. 21, 190,5. G. H. FORSYTH.

CURTAIN OR SHADE HOLDER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 8, 1903. I

-movement.

UNITED STATES Patented February 21, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE H. FORSYTH, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGN OR TO THE CURTAIN SUPPLYCOMPANY, OF CHICAGO,

JERSEY.

ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF NEW CURTAIN OR SHADE HOLDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 782,839, dated February21, 1905. Application filed June 8, 1903. Serial No. 160,650.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE H. FORSYTH, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Curtain or ShadeHolders, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that type of curtain or shade holders whereinthe tubular stick mounted in the lower margin of the curtain or shadecarries the friction devices consisting of a friction-head for engagingthe frame of the window at each end of the stick, said heads beingcarried upon rods sliding within the stick and pressed outwardly intofrictional engagement with the window-frame by springs arranged withinthe stick and bearing upon the rods, which latter are usually maderetractable by means of pendants or pinch-handles connected with theinner ends of the rods and projecting through slots in the stick.-

Owing to variations in the distances between the bottoms of the groovesin the sides of the window-frame, which variations exist in windowswhich are intended to be of the same size, it becomes necessary toprovide means whereby the friction-heads may be adjusted into properoperative relation to the windowframe. It is further desirable toprovide such a construction as will permit this adjustment to be madeafter the fixture has been applied to the window, and, further, it isdesirable to lock the parts together after they have been adjusted.

The object of my invention is to attain these desirable ends and in suchmanner that the fixture can be readily applied to the windowframe andthe adjustment thereafter made.

In the drawings, Figure 1 shows in elevation a fragmentary portion of acurtain or shade having my improved holding device applied thereto withparts thereof in section to disclose the interior mechanism. Fig. 2 is atop plan view of the holding mechanism in place in the grooves with thecurtain omitted and illustrating a construction in which the adjustingmeans is positively locked against Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig.

2, but illustrating a modification of the locking means, which are notpositive, but afford asafeguard against accidental or unintentionaladjustment; and Fig. 4c is a modification showing the pendants omitted.

' Referring to the drawings, 5 designates the curtain or shade, carryingin its lower margin the usual tubular shade-stick 6.

7 designates a rod disposed centrally within the tubular stick 6, and 7a sleeve fixed thereon. The friction-head 8 is loosely mounted on theextremity of the rod which protrudes beyond the sleeve, and this headtravels in the groove A in the side of the window-frame to which thedevice is applied.

9 designates a tubular member extending for a considerable distancewithin the end of the shade-stick, the inner end of which tubular memberis closed except for an aperture sufficiently large to permit the rod 7to slide therethrough. cling the rod 7 is a coil-spring 10, one end ofwhich abuts against the closed end of the tube, while the opposite endabuts against the inner end of the sleeve 7 h 11 designates alongitudinal slot extending for some distance in the end portion of thetube 9, which slot cooperates with a pin 12, projecting from the sleeve7 13 designates a milled or knurled collar formed with or made fast tothe outer end of the tube 9, and this collar is provided with a tooth14, extending inwardly of its inner annular face and cooperating with arecess 15 in the end of the shade-stick 6, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.The collar 13 is preferably so positioned as to project somewhat beyondthe side margin of the curtain, as shown, for greater facility ingetting at the same for p urposes of adjustment, as hereinafterdescribed.

The inner end of the rod 7' is screw-threaded for a considerabledistance, according to the desired extent of longitudinal adjustment ofthe head, and engages an internal thread in the shank of the pendant 16.

It is of course understood that the parts above described are duplicatedat the opposite side of the shade.

Thependants might be omitted and the rod made to have a threadedengagement with a l/Vithin the tube 9 and encirplug or other threadedmember within the tube, or other means may be provided for holding theend of the rod after adjustment. Such a modification is illustrated inFig. &.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the tension of the spring 10 isexerted to force the tube 9 inwardly and the rod 7 and head 8 outwardly.The inward movement of the tube 9 is resisted by the engagement of thecollar or head 13 with the end of the shade-stick, while the outwardmovement of the rod 7 and head 8 is limited by the engagement of thependant 16 with the outer end of the slot, through which it plays, orwith an equivalent holding or limiting means. Now in order to adjust thedistance between the two heads on opposite ends of the shade-stick it isnecessary only to grasp the collar 13 and move the same against thecompression of the spring sufficiently to withdraw the tooth 14: fromthe recess 15 and then turn the collar, and thereby the rod 7, in onedirection or the other, according as the stick is to be shortened orlengthened, it being observed that the rotation of the collar 13 andtube 9 isimparted to the rod 7 through the pin-and-slot connection 1211. In this manner the shade-stick may be considerably shortened aboveits normal length when in operative position, whereby the heads may bereadily entered within the grooves of the frame. That done, either orboth of the collars 13 may be retracted and rotated, as described, inthe proper direction to elongate the stick and carry the heads intoproper relation to the grooves. While the rod is being turned, the head8 remaining in the guide-groove is prevented from turning;

but owing to the loose connection between the rod and head the turningof the former is permitted. This loose connection is well known in thisart and is shown in the patent to Forsyth and Forsyth, No. 559,4A6,dated May 5, 1896.

In Fig. 3 the tooth or projection on the collar 13 (designated by it)has a beveled and pointed form rather than a squared form, andcooperates with a similarly-shaped recess 15 in the-shade-stick. As aresult of this construction the collar 13 can be turned upon theapplication of sufficient torsional force without first retracting it.This last-described construction is ample to prevent accidental andunintentional adjustment and at the same time is easier and simpler tomanipulate than the construction of Figs. 1 and 2.

It is obvious that numerous changes in the detail construction andarrangement of the parts herein described might be made within theprinciple and purview of the invention. I do not, therefore, limitmyself to such detail features, except to the extent that they are madethe subject-matter of specific claims.

While the operation of the mechanism above described involves a rotativemovement in adjusting the heads, and therefore necessitates apin-and-slot or equivalent connection between the rod 7 and the sleeve9, itis obvious that other equivalent means might be employed forchanging the effective length of the rod independent of its slidingmovement, and therefore, while some of the claims herein made are basedupon a construction requiring this rotative movement for adjusting thehead, it is not intended that the broader claims shall be so limited.

I claim* 1. In a shade-holding mechanism,the combination with a tubularshade-stick, and a movable friction-head having a stem or shank providedwith a threaded part extending within said shade-stick, of a threadedmember nonrotatable within said shade-stick and cooperating with thethreaded part of said shank or stem, and means capable of manipulationwithout withdrawing the friction-head from operative position to createa relative rotation between said threaded members to thereby adjust thefriction-head toward and from the adjacent end of the shade-stick,substantially as described.

2. In a shade-holding mechanism, the combination with a tubularshade-stick,and a retractable friction-head having a stem or shankprovided with a threaded part extending within said shade-stick, of athreaded member nonrotatably fixed within said shade-stick andcooperating with the threaded part of said shank or stem, a tubularmember slidably mounted within said shade-stick and non-rotatable withrelation to the stem or shank, a spring within said tubular member sodisposed as to force the latter and the shank or stem of thefriction-head in opposite directions, and a collar on the outer end ofsaid tubular member abutting the end of the shade-stick and capable ofrotation when the curtain-fixture is in place to thereby adjust the headto the groove, sul stantially as described.

3. In a shade-holding mechanism, the combination with a hollowshade-stick, and a retractable friction-head having a stem or shankprovided with a threaded part extending within said shade-stick, of athreaded member nonrotatably mounted within said shade-stick andcooperating with the threaded part of said stem or shank, a collarnon-rotatably mounted on said shank and abutting the adjacent end of theshade-stick, through which the shank may be turned to effectlongitudinal adjustment of the head, substantially as described.

4. In a shade-holding mechanism, the combination with a hollowshade-stick, and a retractable friction-head having a stem or shankprovided with a threaded part extending within said shade-stick, of athreaded member nonrotatably mounted within said shade-stick andcooperating with the threaded part of said shank, a sleeve surroundingsaid shank and slidably but nonrotatably connected relativcly theretoand provided at its outer end with an annular enlargement or collarabutting the outer end of the shade-stick, said collar and end of theshade-stick being provided with cooperating parts for locking them whenin contact against relative rotation, and a spring within said sleevetending to force the latter and the friction-head apart,substanti all yas described.

5. In a curtain-fixture,the combination with a curtain-stick, of alongitudinally-sliding spring-actuated rod therein, a friction-headmounted on the outer end of said rod, and the latter having a threadedconnection at its inner end whereby it may be adjusted lengthwise of thestick, a sleeve on said rod adapted to interlock, with the stick, aspring normally holding said members locked, and a sliding connectionbetween the sleeve and the rod Whereby the rod is held against rotationwhen the sleeve is engaged, and the sleeve may be disengaged and the rodrotated to effect the adjustment, substantially as described.

6. In a curtain-fixture the combination with a curtain-stick, of aspring-pressed head loosely mounted at the end of the stick, meanslocated Without the stick for adjusting the head longitudinally of thestick, and means for locking the adjusting means.

7.- In a curtain-fixture thecombination with a curtain-stick,ofaspring-pressed head loosely mounted at the end of the stick,means'located without the stick for adjusting the head longitudinally ofthe stick, and spring-actuated means for locking the adjusting means.

GEORGE H. FORSYTH. Witnesses:

SAMUEL N. POND, FREDERICK O. GooDWIN.

